Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 132
March 21, 2025
Alt-Rocker Bryce Fox Embraces Fragility And Destruction On 'The Butterfly And The Bomb'
ALT-ROCKER BRYCE FOX
EMBRACES FRAGILITY AND DESTRUCTION
ON THE BUTTERFLY AND THE BOMB
TOUR WITH DIAMOND-CERTIFIED BAND AWOLNATION
STARTS MARCH 27TH
Photo Credit: Victor Urban
March 21, 2025 – Today, Nashville alt-rock artist Bryce Fox releases his new full-length album, The Butterfly and the Bomb, via Nettwerk. Produced by David Pramik (Oliver Tree, Machine Gun Kelly), Aaron Chafin (X Ambassadors, Tofer Brown) and Boonn (grandson, Mike Shinoda) and mixed by Neal Avron (Linkin Park, Twenty-One Pilots) and Mark Needham (Imagine Dragons, Killers), Fox explores fragility and destruction on the full-length release, reflecting on how to navigate a chaotic world as a new father. Listen HERE.
“Being married and having a kid really shaped this new music and gave it such a different tone,” Fox says. “I’m a concerned father now and I’m definitely thinking about the world differently now that my son is here, and that’s reflected in my music. My energy has changed so much. I’m not chasing girls in LA anymore; my music is more existential and more concerned with the bigger world. Going into this album I was nervous that I couldn’t write anything that wasn’t ‘Sexy Town, USA,’ which had been my old shtick. This album has definitely opened up a world of substance and depth that I didn’t realize I’d be able to access, because it’s something that I really hadn’t written much about before. This new music is a lot deeper and the vibe is heavier, and I’m proud and excited that I was able to write an album with as much depth across many different topics.”
If cutting-edge pop music in America is a melting pot of styles, genres, and influences, then the Nashville-based alt-rock artist Bryce Fox has one hand firmly on the stirring stick. By harnessing a mix of inspirations and diverse sonic pathways while embracing the regional touchstones and personal details of his own melting-pot All-American story, Bryce Fox has arrived in a major way. With two previous albums under his belt, Fox has received millions of streams, including an RIAA Gold-certified record with “Horns” off Heaven on Hold (2017), and radio support from stations such as KCRW, KROQ, KTCL and more. He has also gone on to perform with the likes of Matt Maeson, Charlotte Cardin, Frenship and has received press support from NYLON, Billboard, and Earmilk. Topping it off, his music has been featured in many film, tv and commercial campaigns including Disney, Netflix, NBC, HBO, WWE, UFC, Fox Sports, ESPN and more. With his latest album, The Butterfly and the Bomb, Fox proves he has shown up in a major way - deeply personal and completely unrestrained.
The Butterfly and the Bomb Album Tracklisting:
ButterflyRiotWorld’s on FireOn GodTrust NobodyShadowsOther PeopleThe MonsterPsychopathParadisePeople WatchingKing Is DeadSense of Humor
Catch Bryce Fox on tour with diamond-certified band AWOLNATION starting next week on March 27th in San Diego and ending May 10th in Los Angeles. For the first time, he will bring his dynamic set and new music to major markets across North America live. Tickets are available to purchase here: https://brycefoxmusic.com/tour.
Bryce Fox Tour Dates
w/AWOLNATION
March 27 – San Diego, CA - House of Blues
March 28 – Santa Ana, CA - Observatory
March 29 – Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
March 31 – Austin, TX - Emo’s
April 1 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
April 2 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
April 3 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
April 5 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman
April 6 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
April 8 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall
April 9 – Charlotte, NC – The Filmore
April 11 – Tampa, FL – Ritz YBOR
April 12 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
April 13 – Richmond, VA – The National
April 13 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
April 17 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
April 18 – Philadelphia, PA – TLA
April 19 – Boston, MA – The Royale
April 21 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
April 22 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
April 24 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
April 25 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
April 26 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrews
April 28 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
April 29 – Omaha, NE – The Admiral
May 2 – Denver, CO – Summit
May 3 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
May 5 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
May 6 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
May 9 – San Francisco, CA – Regency Ballroom
May 10 – Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco Theater
Follow Bryce Fox:
March 20, 2025
Björk: Cornucopia releases in cinemas worldwide on May 7th
Photograph: Santiago Felipe. Graphics: M/M Paris.
“Fantasy as a weapon for change” - The New Yorker “One of the most incredible displays of lights and sounds ever to grace a stage in the city"- New York Magazine “Björk’s Cornucopia is the Wildest Visual Display in a Concert That I’ve Ever Seen” - Vulture “Cornucopia might just be her masterpiece” - nj.com “The most immersive and intoxicating visual experience I have experienced” - The Independent “Decades Into a Masterful Career, Björk’s Art Is Bolder Than Ever” - Variety “100 minutes of a nearly overwhelming array of sounds and images, a true feast for the senses and an ecstatic paean to nature and flutes. Her voice sounded incredible as ever, never flagging throughout the show as if drawn from an infinite wellspring of power and energy” – Brooklyn Vegan “A multi-sensory picture of a brave new world” - Crack magazine “A spectacular vision of Utopia” - The Guardian
“An audacious, expectation-disrupting spectacular from an artist unbothered with people-pleasing” - NME
“A spectacle of cutting-edge sound and image” - Rolling Stone
March 20, 2025—Mercury Studios, Universal Music Group’s innovative content studio, today announced the theatrical release of the iconic new concert film Björk: Cornucopia alongside singer, songwriter, and producer Björk. On May 7th, Mercury Studios & Björk will unveil the visually breathtaking concert film in cinemas worldwide via Trafalgar Releasing. The film is Björk’s most elaborate live performance to date and will be available to experience exclusively in approximately 500 cinemas in over 25 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, the US, the UK, and more. Björk: Cornucopia is set to be released in Spain on Thursday 8th May and to take place on Friday 9th May in Canada and Sunday 11th May in France. The film has a runtime of 1 hour 39 minutes, plus an additional screening of 3 music videos, curated by Björk. The Cornucopia concert film offers a rare opportunity to experience the full magic of the original show in stunning 4K and Dolby Atmos in a cinematic environment, making it an unmissable event for both dedicated fans and newcomers alike. Head to bjorkcornucopia.com now to sign-up for updates, with tickets for the film going on sale on March 27th, where fans can also access the full list of showtimes. Cornucopia has garnered widespread acclaim for its cutting-edge visuals and immersive sound as the live show travelled the world. This film captures the concert's mesmerizing transformation of 21st-century VR visuals into a 19th-century theatrical setup, bringing Björk’s work from the headset, to a stage, and now to a cinema – serving Björk’s signature blend of musical innovation, environmental activism, and emotional expression. Björk’s performance takes viewers on an exhilarating journey through some of her most iconic songs to more recent Utopia and Fossora - each brought to life with stunning visual storytelling, in collaboration with world class artists and animators. The film also explores her philosophy on the multiple environmental crises, offering an optimistic, post-apocalyptic reflection on our collective future.Amy Freshwater, VP Content Acquisition Mercury Studios said “Experiencing a visual performer’s concert on the cinema screen isn’t just watching a show - it’s immersing yourself in the full scale of their artistry in the way Björk intended when designing the spectacle of Cornucopia. Now, through a long-standing partnership fostered by Will White, SVP Content Sales, the film will find its rightful home on cinema screens in a collaboration with Trafalgar Releasing ahead of global sales.”
Marc Allenby, CEO Trafalgar Releasing said “We’re excited to bring this iconic concert, produced in stunning 4k and Dolby Atmos, to cinemas for this global event. This is a rare opportunity for fans to come together for this unique immersive experience, with additional Björk music videos, on the big screen, and we can’t wait to share it with audiences everywhere”. Directed by Ísold Uggadóttir, the film features Björk’s visionary sound and visual creative direction, as well as her music arrangements, production, and performance. The film’s striking visuals are shaped by James Merry as co-creative director of visuals, with original animation by Tobias Gremmler – and additional contributions from Andrew Thomas Huang, Gabríela Friðriksdóttir, Pierre-Alain Giraud, Nick Knight, and Warren Du Preez & Nick Thornton-Jones, who meld their visual artistry with Björk’s avant-garde musical style. Producers Sara Nassim and Kat Mansoor bring their expertise to the project, while Bergur Þórisson serves as musical director and re-recording mixer. The film’s exceptional cinematography comes courtesy of Artur Tort, and the seamless edit was crafted by Walter Mauriot.The production is led by S101 and Snowstorm, with Level Forward serving as Impact Producer. Executive Producers include Derek Birkett, Adrienne Becker, and Roger Clark for Level Forward, and Davíð Helgason for Foobar.vc. Co-Executive Producers are Ian Wheeler for Talkhouse, Susan Lord and Brogan Bambrogan for Level Forward, Benjamin Ratz for Foobar.vc, and Sigrid Dyekjær.About Björk:
Björk is one of the most innovative and influential artists of her generation. Known for her groundbreaking music, visual art, and performances, Björk’s career has constantly pushed boundaries in music, technology, and activism. With over 20 million albums sold worldwide, she continues to inspire and challenge audiences with her bold creative visions. From her critically acclaimed app album Biophilia to the immersive Vulnicura VR, Björk has always embraced new technology to enhance her artistry. With Cornucopia, she continues to redefine what it means to be a performer in the 21st century, blending music, theater, and visual art to deliver a message of environmental hope and resilience.About Trafalgar: Trafalgar Releasing, the global leader in event cinema distribution, harnesses the power of cinema to bring fans together in more than 15,000 cinemas across 132 countries. A subsidiary of Trafalgar Entertainment, Trafalgar Releasing’s operations include production, acquisition, marketing, and distribution of live or pre-recorded content to cinemas worldwide led by an international team based in the UK, US and Germany. Featuring live concerts, music documentaries, world-class opera, award-winning theatre, and more from leading names in entertainment such as Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, BTS, Metallica, Oasis, Coldplay, Billie Eilish, the Royal Opera House and others, Trafalgar Releasing has repeatedly shattered event cinema box office records, most recently with international distribution for TAYLOR SWIFT | THE ERAS TOUR, the highest-grossing concert film of all time. Information about Trafalgar Releasing can be found at www.trafalgar-releasing.com . About Mercury Studios
Mercury Studios is a full-service production studio, focused on telling compelling stories through the lens of music. Current and recent projects include Oscar and BAFTA award nominated American Symphony, directed by Matthew Heineman for the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions/Netflix, If These Walls Could Sing, directed by Mary McCartney for Disney+, My Life as a Rolling Stone for the BBC and MGM+, Shania Twain: Not Just A Girl for Netflix, This Town, a six-part series for the BBC from writer, creator, and executive producer Steven Knight, Linda Perry: Let it Die Here, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and the recently announced One to One: John & Yoko from Oscar and BAFTA award winning director, Kevin Macdonald. Mercury Studios also produced Sam Smith: Live at the Royal Albert Hall for BBC, Billie Eilish’s Overheated at the O2 London and Lang Lang Plays Disney for Disney+. Editorially independent, Mercury Studios is powered by Universal Music Group and represents the world’s leading catalogue of music-related content, consisting of thousands of hours of premium music-driven film and television programming.
American EBM virtuosos YOUTH CODE return with ‘Yours, With Malice’
American EBM virtuosos YOUTH CODE return with
Yours, With Malice —
new
5-song EP out May 16
Announce signing to Sumerian Records
S hare music video for first single “No Consequence”
Photo credit Atiba Jefferson
Youth Code— the product of multi-instrumentalists Sara Taylor and Ryan George— welcome their first musical output in four years: Yours, With Malice, incoming May 16, 2025.
Yours, With Malice roars and tramples out of the gate with "No Consequence"— which arrives today alongside a powerful performance video directed by Stephen Lentini— like an armor-plated, weaponized bulldozer, pulverizing skulls into fine powder, while bubbling sub-bass, bone-snapping snare hits, sizzling hi-hats and rib-rattling kicks bounce off of the floors like spent shells. Sanford Parker’s powerful mix gives the effort a strong shove in the right direction– the subtle but careful ear for melody that connects all the songs, grounds them, and keeps the listener chained to the “repeat” button.
Watch / share first single "No Consequence" on YouTube
Listen / share / playlist "No Consequence" on DSP's
Nothing hits harder than life, as they say, and the series of bloody-knuckle bouts to get to the release of Yours, With Malice led to some deep introspection by Youth Code regarding who they are, what they’ve accomplished and their next steps. “I think a lot of people’s stories during the pandemic were about self-reflection, but the ironic thing is we were already in a state of reemergence and re-imagination of self before the rest of the world was forced to do it,” says Ryan George. He continues, “We took time and began to workshop and demo vocals on some of the material we had. We never stop writing and are sitting on a mountain of tracks that we can rework and tweak. Not having deadlines surrounding us and in no hurry to get our material out there, all of a sudden the partnership with Sumerian arrived. That sort of ignited a fire and got us to where we are now.”
These last few years of self-reflection found Youth Code stewing in a simmering cauldron of bile and vitriol as Yours, With Malice is clearly their most intricate, well-crafted and blood-thirsty release to date and their first offering for Sumerian Records.
Sumerian Vice President Julien O'Neill adds: "Youth Code have long been a commanding voice in both electronic and heavy music, and we are incredibly honored to welcome them to Sumerian Records with the announcement of their latest release, 'Yours, With Malice.' We believe this marks a powerful new chapter in their already illustrious career and are excited for what the future will bring for both new and longtime fans alike."
While some of the sounds and references on Yours… come from classic 90s influences such as Nine Inch Nails’ classic Broken/Fixed duality, the untouchable middle period Ministry era that spawned The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste, in addition to a plethora of others like Front 242, Cabaret Voltaire, and Portion Control, the core attack has not changed much for the Los Angeles-based duo.
If the music of Youth Code is the sketchy, yellowing passenger van luring in unsuspecting listeners, then the melodies on Yours… are the out-stretched hand of unlimited candy that growing legions won’t be able to resist. Sara Taylor shares: “I started exploring more melodic vocals on our record with King Yosef [the 2021 collab A Skeleton Key in the Doors of Depression], but I’ve always felt somewhat insecure in my voice… at the same time, Eartha Kitt had a gravelly voice and she was the epitome of a vocalist that ably captured attention– she understood the song and how to make the most of it with what she had.”
What has changed is Youth Code’s attention to detail and their hyper focus on execution in songwriting, two things that can only come from the wellspring of knowledge found in a band that has been at it for more than a decade. The group began in 2012 as a project between partners George and Taylor, inspired by the classic sounds of New Order, Depeche Mode and the hardcore punk that soundtracked so much of their youth. What emerged was a demo cassette that led to a 7” release on Angry Love, the first band unrelated to the legendary Psychic TV to be released on that label. A self-titled album followed, then 2014’s A Place to Stand EP, and 2016’s Commitment to Complications LP, all while touring with a diverse groups like Chelsea Wolfe, HEALTH, Skinny Puppy, and more, in addition to arena shows with My Chemical Romance and main stage appearances with Nine Inch Nails. Heaps of press accolades followed before the pandemic hit, and now, in 2025, Youth Code return with their magnum opus.
Pre-order Yours, With Malice here and here, and look for more news from Youth Code to arrive soon.
Youth Code, live:
Apr. 02 Stockholm, SE - Hus 7
Apr. 03 Berlin, DE - Cassiopeia
Apr. 04 Haarlem, NL - Slachthuis
Apr. 05 London, UK - Moth Club
Yours, With Malice cover art:
Yours, With Malice track list:
No ConsequenceWishing WellIn Search of TomorrowMake SenseI'm SorryAnnahstasia announces debut album + shares lead single "Villain"
ANNAHSTASIA ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM
TETHER DUE JUNE 13TH VIA DRINK SUM WTR
SHARES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO “VILLAIN”
Annahstasia by Zhamak Fullad
“Her bewitching vocals bend and build to earth-shattering crescendos as effortlessly as they collapse to mere whispers, transforming the simplest confessions of admiration into deeply romantic pleas”
NME
“Gentle in sound and approach, power folk musician Annahstasia stirs up intense emotions but lands softly in her work”
BET
“a commanding new take on a vintage-hued troubadour style”
KCRW
“Villain”
LISTEN: https://drinksumwtr.lnk.to/annahstasia-villain
WATCH: https://youtu.be/yt_FxQXBvBw
Tether
PRE-SAVE: https://drinksumwtr.lnk.to/annahstasia-tether
(March 20th, 2025) - Annahstasia announces her debut album Tether due June 13th via drink sum wtr. Alongside the announcement, she shares a new single “Villain,” a welcoming surge of drums, brass, and horns as a sweeping nod to healing. Annahstasia shares about the new single, "We are all made of both shadow and light. From some angle, we have all been the villain of the story, we are all trying our best, negotiating survival."
The single is accompanied by a stunning music video directed by Adam Davis and featuring the Black rodeo community in Tulsa and across the state of Oklahoma. Annahstasia conceived of the visual as a story about learning. More specifically, it illustrates the process of Annahstasia committing to herself and dispelling ego to embrace each moment in the process of learning something new, mistakes and all.
Annahstasia assembled the pieces of Tether slowly and with deep intention, letting the early iterations of each song germinate in the world and find their true meaning before they were cemented on the album. "The song is written, and then I have to live with it and see if I really believe what I'm saying," she explains. The recording was instinctual, done only in live takes to capture the feeling of the room and the community surrounding the music. Recorded at the storied Valentine Studios in Los Angeles, Annahstasia was joined by producers Jason Lader (ANOHNI and the Johnsons, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey), Andrew Lappin (Cassandra Jenkins, L'Rain, Luna Li), Aaron Liao (Liv.e, Moses Sumney, Raveena) and a range of accomplished musicians, including featured guests Obongjayar and the Grammy-nominated aja monet.
Tether examines the aftermath of the “romantic war” she incited with her prelude EP, Surface Tension, ruminating on her own evolving relationship to love across the breadth of the album. Her vocals are bare and boldly up-front on each track, exploring the power of her voice and its ability to direct the listener on an emotional journey with newfound latitude, as an expansive palette of instruments color the spaces in between.
Born Annahstasia Enuke, the LA-based artist first learned about the importance of artistic resilience and creative intention at the age of 17 after being discovered and later propelled into the entertainment industry and the stifling pressures that accompany it. "I've come into the power of my voice as a medium," she says. "As a tool of expression, I am able to shape the emotional space around me.”
Listen to “Villain” above, find album details below and stay tuned for more from Annahstasia coming soon.
Annahstasia
Tether
drink sum wtr
June 13th, 2025
1. Be Kind
2. Villain
3. Unrest
4. Take Care of Me
5. Slow (feat. Obongjayar)
6. Waiting
7. Overflow
8. All Is. Will Be. As It Was. (feat. aja monet)
9. Silk and Velvet
10. Satisfy Me
11. Believer
"Villain" single artwork
Connect with Annahstasia:
DUKE GARWOOD shares details of a new album, Satin Warrior, and a new track ahead of spring UK tour (16 May, God Unknown Records)
LISTEN TO HIS NEW TRACK, ‘ TANGERINE WARRIOR ’
SPRING TOUR ACROSS UK
UK TOUR DATES25 March – Birkenhead, Future Yard26 March – Stockport, The Strines Nightingale27 March – Newcastle, The Cluny28 March – Glasgow, The Hug & Pint4 April – St Leonards on Sea, The Piper5 April – London, The Grace
Duke Garwood has announced details of a new album, Satin Warrior , set for release on 16 May 2025 via God Unknown Records. Garwood is currently on a UK tour, which continues through March and into April with a London date at The Grace on Saturday 5 April.
The new album, Satin Warrior, moves between landscapes of hope and foreboding, traversing long form compositions that sit between improvisation and structured song writing. Duke Garwood and longterm collaborator, free improvising drummer Paul May, employ an array of instrumentation to create spontaneous layers that build up into hypnotic fully fledged songs.
Listen to ‘Tangerine Warrior’, where Paul May’s naturalistic hip hop rhythms propel shimmering organ drones, repeating basslines and beddings of effects-laden guitar patterns HERE
“Music is made from love and hunger, a desire to embrace the fantastic, the exceptional.” – Duke Garwood
Satin Warrior brings together a mixture of jazz elements alongside Garwood’s signature fractured blues-infused guitar, bursting forth with a combination of ensemble horns and kinetic rhythms. Garwood’s soft but gravelly vocal laments guide the listener through his poetic visions where he melds the dreamlike, allowing occasional shades of reality’s light to creep in.
Duke Garwood has long been celebrated for his unique sound and profound musicality. With a career spanning over three decades, he has collaborated with a wide array of artists, cementing his reputation as a versatile and influential figure.
Garwood has collaborated with an impressive array of artists including Mark Lanegan, Savages, The Orb and Morcheeba.
Satin Warrior is out on God Unknown Records on 16 May
Pre-order the album HERE
Watch the video for the title track HERE
Duke Garwood – Satin Warrior tracklisting Satin WarriorPretty WarriorSatin BradTangerine WarriorDivine Suit Drifting WarriorScarlett Trees
RECENT PRAISE FOR DUKE GARWOOD “… his most compelling album” – Uncut - 8/10* lead album review “… a wonderfully elemental set” – 4/5* MOJO
“It cannot be overstated how much warmth, vitality, and frankly, sexiness there is to Garwood’s uniquely simmering take on the blues idiom” - 5/5* The Telegraph
“it has an otherworldly, heady quality suggesting sun-baked desert days” – The Guardian
“The music channels the same languor, moving along at a steady, soulful pace.” – Loud & Quiet
“If it’s the blues, it’s a very Beefheart blues; which is, of course, the very best kind.” - NME
“redolent of a muggy swamp and just as easy to sink into” - Clash
DISCOGRAPHY Holy Week (2005, Loog Records)Emerald Palace (2006, Butterfly Records)The Sand That Falls (2009, Fire Records)Dreamboatsafari (2011, Fire Records)Black Pudding, with Mark Lanegan (2013, Heavenly Records)Heavy Love (2017, Heavenly Records)With Animals, w Mark Lanegan (2017, Heavenly Records)Garden of Ashes (2018, Heavenly Records)Last party on Earth, with Hifiklub (2021, Parallel Factory)Rogues Gospel (2022, God Unknown Records)
Bella Union Shares Nell Smith's "Billions of People" Single + Video | Posthumous Debut LP out 4/11
Nell Smith
“ Billions of People ” Single Out Today
Available across platforms here
Posthumous Debut Solo Album, Anxious
due out April 11 via Bella Union
Singles: “
Anxious
” “
Boy in a Bubble
” “
Billions of People
”
Credit: Alex Hanson at Hipgnosis Media
Today, Bella Union has released “Billions of People”, the latest single from Nell Smith’s posthumous debut solo album Anxious due out April 11. The psych-pop single was written in September 2022 with Canadian band Shred Kelly in Fernie BC and reflects on her visit to the UK on tour with The Flaming Lips earlier that year. It was a time of huge excitement and change for Nell as she navigated the exciting opportunities while trying to balance teenage life in a small town and friendships far away.
Shred Kelly shares, “We met every week to work on songwriting together and, if I remember correctly, Nell brought the chorus of “Billions of People” to the session. About 30 minutes in, she got a message from someone who she had a connection with who was leaving town and she said she was going to bike down to the bridge to say goodbye and be back in a few minutes. She wasn’t sure when she’d see them again. That fuelled the inspiration for the verses of the song that we wrote that day, and the rest of the song came together pretty effortlessly.”
Listen / Share: “Billions of People”
Posthumous record releases will always be charged with emotion but when the release comes from a 17 year-old artist that was just getting started it’s heartbreaking beyond expression. Anxious is a mesmerizing selection of songs that explore the highs, lows and uncertainty of teenage life through the eyes of Nell and is the follow-up to Where The Viaduct Looms, her debut collaboration with The Flaming Lips that explored the works of Nick Cave. Guided by the talented Jack and Lily Wolter of Penelope Isles, who helped shape Nell’s songs, some of which had been in the works since she was twelve years old, the result is an album brimming with emotion, playful melodies and a depth that hints at what Nell’s future may have held.
A lot of Nell’s creative drive was rooted in raw teenage emotions; apprehension; love; travel; gratefulness; ambition; and grief. These moods are visited throughout the tracks on the album with an instrumental approach that brings joy into even the darkest of songs. “It is still very painful when I realize Nell is gone”, says Wayne Coyne. “I keep thinking I’ll check my text messages from her. I’m sure she has a new drawing or new piece of a song or a new photo of her cat… and then I remember she is gone. Now when I’m listening to her singing these songs there is a brief fantastical joy. Her voice hits the ear, the ear tells brain this is the sound of love, the brain lets the mind fly through the billions of connections it has with Nell’s life... but as it flies it also flies to her death... there is something holy that happens now.”
The Nell Smith Memorial Fund set up by Nell’s family to honor her legacy and support emerging musicians has already raised $35,000. The fund aims to raise $100,000 and award $10,000 every year for ten years with profits from the release going directly into the fund’s corpus. New to the website are lovingly crafted limited edition Nell & Wayne T-shirts celebrating their creative relationship. To visit Nell’s website click here.
Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
JENSEN MCRAE RELEASES NEW SINGLE “SAVANNAH”; NEW ALBUM OUT APRIL 25 + SPRING TOUR
JENSEN MCRAE RELEASES NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO “SAVANNAH”
I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME!
OUT APRIL 25 ON DEAD OCEANS
NORTH AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN TOUR KICKS OFF SPRING 2025; NEW YORK, DC, CHICAGO, TORONTO AND MORE DATES SOLD OUT + SECOND NIGHT ADDED IN LOS ANGELES
PHOTO: Nesrin Danan
LISTEN HERE | WATCH HERE | PRE- ORDER HERE
Folk’s modern muse Jensen McRae has unveiled her latest single, “Savannah,” from her highly anticipated sophomore album, I Don’t Know How But They Found Me!, out April 25 via Dead Oceans. The track, a hauntingly beautiful anthem of liberation and self-discovery, finds McRae reflecting on leaving a toxic relationship, only to be confronted by her past at every turn. As Jensen explains, “Savannah is the oldest song on the album and I think is the song that speaks most to the title and the cover art. It’s about leaving a bad relationship, falling into one that seems good, and running away, only to be confronted by your past on every street corner.” Listen HERE.
Directed and produced by Rena Johnson, the video for “Savannah” is a visual journey of self-discovery. Jensen chases a version of herself in a wedding gown—a symbol of the life she thought she was supposed to live—through a series of dreamlike sequences. From serene shots of Jensen wandering through nature to quiet moments in an empty church, the video captures the tension between who she is and who she thought she’d become, echoing her journey to confront the ghosts of her past and embrace the person she’s meant to be. Watch HERE.
Set against the backdrop of heartbreak, self-discovery, and the complexities of love, I Don’t Know How But They Found Me! is a bold evolution for the young artist. The eleven-track album, recorded in North Carolina with Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Bon Iver) and featuring contributions from Nathan Stocker (Hippo Campus), Matthew McCaughan (Bon Iver), and her brother Holden McRae, is a vibrant collection of songs anchored by razor-sharp lyrics and timeless pop melodies. The album will include her viral hit “Massachusetts,” a track that captivated listeners with its raw vulnerability and cemented Jensen as a voice for a generation navigating love and loss.
Jensen’s voice—at once airy and textured, clear and radiant—captures both the pain of being left and the strength in choosing to leave. The album’s title, inspired by a line from Back to the Future, reflects McRae’s resilience: “I could’ve easily collapsed beneath the weight of what happened to me, but I didn’t. I was bulletproof the whole time.”
Following the release of her latest album, Jensen McRae will embark on an extensive North American and European/UK tour in Spring 2025, bringing her signature blend of raw lyricism and soulful melodies to stages across the globe. The North American leg kicks off on May 3 in Philadelphia, PA, with stops in major cities like New York, Toronto, Chicago, and Los Angeles—including additional dates added in NYC and LA due to overwhelming demand. In June, McRae will take her evocative storytelling overseas for a string of shows across Europe, with dates in Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester, and Bristol. General public tickets are on sale now at jensenmcrae.com.
At just 27, Jensen McRae has already toured with Noah Kahan, MUNA, Amos Lee, and Corinne Bailey Rae, graced a Times Square billboard, and served as the cover of Spotify’s Today’s Singer-Songwriters playlist. Recently named Deezer’s Global Artist to Watch for April, Jensen continues to build momentum as a fearless storyteller, weaving raw vulnerability and poetic lyricism into songs that explore love, loss, and the complexities of life. A graduate of USC’s Thornton School of Music and a GRAMMY Camp alum, McRae is carving out space for young Black women in the folk genre with unflinching honesty and raw lyricism.
She released her debut album, Are You Happy Now?, in 2022, featuring viral singles like “Immune” and “Wolves”, and has earned widespread acclaim from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vulture, UPROXX, Billboard, and Stereogum. She’s been spotlighted in PAPER, DORK, and Wonderland Magazine, with the latter declaring, “The future is just beginning for Jensen McRae” Most recently, Jensen joined Drew Afualo on her hit podcast, The Comment Section, for a hilarious and heartfelt conversation about her music, her viral Phoebe Bridgers parody, and her very relatable fear of bugs—all while bonding over their shared love of Ed Sheeran.
Inspired by the likes of Joni Mitchell and Tracy Chapman, McRae’s voice—both literal and lyrical—resonates deeply, personifying the human experience with rare vulnerability and grace. With a sound that blends introspection and artistry, she’s an artist who’s here to stay.
Stream “Savannah”
https://Jensen-McRae.lnk.to/Savannah
Watch the official “Savannah” Music Video
Stream “Praying For Your Downfall”
https://Jensen-McRae.lnk.to/Praying-For-Your-Downfall
Watch the Official “Praying For Your Downfall” Music Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SPhwnfpgsM
Pre-Save I Don’t Know How But They Found Me!
https://Jensen-McRae.lnk.to/I-Dont-Know-How-But-They-Found-Me
I Don’t Know How But They Found Me! Tracklist:
1. The Rearranger
2. I Can Change Him
3. Savannah
4. Daffodils
5. Let Me Be Wrong
6. Novelty
7. I Don’t Do Drugs
8. Tuesday
9. Mother Wound
10. Praying For Your Downfall
11. Massachusetts
IDKHBTFM! TOUR DATES
NORTH AMERICA
May 03 - Philadelphia, PA | World Cafe Live
May 04 - Washington, DC | The Atlantis
May 07 - New York, NY | Bowery Ballroom
May 10 - Boston, MA | The Sinclair
May 12 - Montreal, QC | Fairmount Theatre
May 13 - Toronto, ON | The Axis Club
May 15 - Chicago, IL | Lincoln Hall
May 16 - Minneapolis, MN | Varsity Theater
May 18 - Denver, CO | Bluebird Theater
May 19 - Salt Lake City, UT | Soundwell
May 21 - Vancouver, BC | Hollywood Theatre
May 22 - Seattle, WA | Neumos
May 23 - Portland, OR | Hawthorne Theatre
May 25 - Napa, CA | BottleRock
May 28 - Los Angeles, CA | El Rey Theatre
EU / UK
June 10 - Berlin, Germany | Privatclub
June 12 - Amsterdam, Netherlands | Bitterzoet
June 14 - Brussels, Belgium | Botanique
June 16 - Paris, France | Le Hasard Ludique
June 18 - Dublin, Ireland | The Workman’s Cellar
June 20 - Glasgow, UK | SWG3 Poetry Club
June 21 - Manchester, UK | Deaf Institute
June 22 - Bristol, UK | The Exchange
Amenra share vast, expansive new single "De Toorn (Talisman)"
Amenra share vast, expansive new single "De Toorn (Talisman)"
New EP's De Toorn and With Fang and Claw out March 28th
Photo by: AF Cortes.
Amenra will release two new EPs next week that highlight their career as one of the most compelling and unequivocally vital entities in extreme music. De Toorn and With Fang and Claw have distinct soundscapes, songwriting approaches, and emotional weight. The result is a two part journey through Amenra's raw, visceral beginnings, and a look into the band's future as one of the most enthralling and cinematic experiences in the genre.
Today, the band shares the De Toorn EP closer which they see as "...a small seed that takes its time to quietly grow and blossom into a mighty oak before an inferno comes and furiously burns it down to the ground." Amenra continue: "We took our songwriting as far as we could possibly push it. With "De Toorn (Talisman)" we challenge the listener more than ever, to commit, to nest in its creation. A tangible moment in the fleeting and fast paced world of today."
Watch / share "De Toorn (Talisman)" on YouTube
Directed by Samson Balfour Smith | Feat. Aymeline Valade
cradle me close in echoes of longing
thorns of your rose grow longer and longer
an empty vase gathering dust
wilted grace. tears streak my face
immerse me with the worst of me
whichever way we turn, fire will burn.
Recorded in a single session at the same studio in the Belgian Ardennes where the band's massive Mass VI was recorded with Seth Manchester (Machines With Magnets), both EPs herald a new era for Amenra. "These EPs feel like the closure we were desperately seeking, as we prepare for a new beginning in our almost 3 decade long trajectory" says Van Eeckhout.
Pre-order De Toorn and With Fang and Claw here.
Amenra, on tour:
22/03/25 : den Atelier - Luxemburg (LU)
26-30/03/25 : Ancienne Belgique - Bruxelles (BE) ~sold out~
21/04/25 : Im Wizeman – Stuttgart (DE)
22/04/25 : Carlswerk Victoria - Köln (DE)
23/04/25 : Uebel & Gefährlich – Hamburg (DE)
24/04/25 : Astra – Berlin (DE)
25/04/25 : Oczki – Warsaw (PL)
26/04/25 : Kwadrat - Krakow (PL)
27/04/25 : Beatpol – Dresden (DE)
28/04/25 : Palac Akropolis – Prague (CZ)
30/04/25 : Arena - Vienna (AT)
01/05/25 : A38 – Budapest (HR)
02/05/25 : Boogaloo club – Zagreb (Croatia)
03/05/25 : Backstage Halle – Munich (DE) ~sold out~
04/05/25 : TPO – Bologna (IT)
05/05/25 : Monk Club – Rome (IT)
06/05/25 : Legend Club – Milano (IT)
07/05/25 : Les Docks – Lausanne (CH)
08/05/25 : CCO – Lyon (FR)
09/05/25 : Espace Julien – Marseille (FR)
11/05/25 : Apolo – Barcelona (ES)
12/05/25 : Cabane – Toulouse (FR)
13/05/25 : Atabal - Biarritz (FR)
14/05/25 : Antipode – Rennes (FR)
15/05/25 : Elysée Montmartre – Paris (FR)
17/05/25 : Desertfest @ Roundhouse – London (UK)
March 19, 2025
KOKOKO! @ Lodge Room Tuesday 03.18.25 // THE PORTABLE INFINITE
All photos taken by Martin Worster
Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova "PUNK'S NOT DEAD Pt. 2" at Honor Fraser April 25 - May 31 + MOCA Acquires Putin's Ashes
HONOR FRASER PRESENTS:
NADYA TOLOKONNIKOVA (PUSSY RIOT)
PUNK'S NOT DEAD (Pt. 2)
OPENING APRIL 25 - MAY 31
TOLOKONNIKOVA’S FIRST FULL-LENGTH SOLO GALLERY EXHIBIT IN LOS ANGELES
PLUS: MOCA LOS ANGELES ACQUIRES
TOLOKONNIKOVA’S PUTIN’S ASHES
Today, Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova and Honor Fraser Gallery announce the exhibition PUNK’S NOT DEAD (Pt. 2) to open on April 25 and runs till May 31st.
Along with this, we’re excited to share that Tolokonnikova's Putin's Ashes was acquired by The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles.
About the PUNK'S NOT DEAD (Pt. 2):
Since her early days in the art-activist performance group Voina (2007–2011), through founding Pussy Riot in 2012, and finding new paths to create art under the watchful eye of the Russian government after her release from jail in 2014, Tolokonnikova has been working to create languages of defiance and protest. Following the traditions of the Russian avant-garde, she seeks modes of artistic production that do not merely describe the world but aim to change it. Her work, even in its darkest moments, carries an underlying utopia-building impulse — holding space for the promise of a better future, a never-ending Möbius strip of being, at times, naive and childlike, and at other times, harsh and excruciating.
In her series “ICONS”, Tolokonnikova morphs religious iconography with modern-day slogans and intimate poetry, combining the sacred and the profane — exactly what she was put in jail for by Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church in 2012. Boris Groys, philosopher, art critic, writes: “Tolokonnikova uses traditional Russian Orthodox imagery as a way to break with the established conventions of contemporary art. She has a precursor in Malevich, who used the tradition of icon painting in the same way (...) The artistic avant-garde—at least the early one—was this kind of gesture seeking to reawaken chaos. In our time, few artists situate themselves in this tradition. But Tolokonnikova does precisely this. She searches for the miraculous, in the middle of the rationally, strategically operating art world.”
The “SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN” series, reflecting on the role of Big Pharma in modern biopolitics and ideology, features the most popular drugs in the U.S. — Ozempic, Viagra, Adderall, and Botox.
Works from the “DARK MATTER” series feature a number of Pussy Riot’s actions — the images are engraved on birch wood and covered with black ink.
The exhibit features “RIOT SHIELDS”, relics from PUNK’S NOT DEAD (Pt. 1), a show that took place at Honor Fraser in January 2024: the artist used riot shields as musical instruments, carving them with brass knuckles while having a contact microphone attached to the shield.
About Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova:
Conceptual performance artist and activist Nadya Tolokonnikova is the creator of Pussy Riot, a global feminist art movement. She was sentenced in 2012 to 2 years' imprisonment following an anti-Putin performance Punk Prayer, which was named by The Guardian among the best art pieces of the 21st century.
Tolokonnikova's Putin’s Ashes art installation at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in January 2023 propelled her into a new criminal case and put on Russia’s most wanted criminal list, and on the international wanted list, too. In 2024 her debut museum exhibition RAGE, opened at OK Linz, Linz, Austria, and the eponymous performance piece performed at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.
She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Rhode Island School of Art and Design (RISD), and received The Hannah Arendt Prize for Political thought. Her visual artworks have been exhibited or collected by The Brooklyn Museum, MOCA, Serpentine Galleries, Wende Museum, Dallas Museum of Art, OK Linz Museum in Austria, American Folk Art Museum, The New Museum, Zimmerli Museum, Ackland Museum of Art, The Museum of Art and Design in New York.
Born: Norilsk, Siberia
Lives: Geographically anonymous
Art images below: RIOT SHIELD (left) and BARBED WIRE, acrylic on canvas, silver leaf (right) / 2025
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